The Milwaukee Brewers just can’t catch a break with their pitching staff. Left-hander Kyle Harrison is headed to the 15-day injured list with left forearm tightness, a move made retroactive to July 9. That’s another rotation piece gone for a team that’s already stacking up IL stints like firewood.
Harrison left his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 8 after only four innings and 70 pitches. He said afterward that he’d been dealing with soreness on the outside of his left elbow for a couple of weeks. The discomfort is in the extensor muscle near the elbow, and both Harrison and the Brewers don’t think imaging is necessary right now. That’s encouraging, but forearm issues always make people nervous.
The 24-year-old said he’s already feeling better than he did right after that start. His plan: rest for a few days, then try to start throwing again during the All-Star break. The Brewers are hoping this IL stint just lets him skip a start or two and use the break to fully recover. But “forearm tightness” is one of those phrases that hangs in the air a little too long.
Before this hiccup, Harrison was having a legit breakout season. In his first year with Milwaukee after coming over in a six-player offseason trade with the Red Sox, he’s 8-2 with a 3.01 ERA and 101 strikeouts over 83.2 innings. He’s got a 1.08 WHIP, a 29.6% strikeout rate, a 5.9% walk rate, and a 5.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Through 17 starts, he’s worth 2.5 WAR. That’s frontline production from a guy who wasn’t even on the roster this time last year.
But his last two starts worried people. He allowed six earned runs over 6.2 combined innings in that stretch. That came right after a stellar first half where he looked like Milwaukee’s best starter. Maybe the forearm had something to do with that sudden drop-off.
The IL is getting crowded
Harrison is now the 10th pitcher on Milwaukee’s injured list. The list includes Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, and Coleman Crow. That’s a lot of depth to be missing in July. The Brewers just got Logan Henderson back from his own injury, but another rotation hole is not what anyone wanted heading into the break.
To fill Harrison’s roster spot, Milwaukee called up lefty Robert Gasser from Triple-A Nashville before Saturday’s doubleheader against the Pirates. Gasser has already made eight starts for the Brewers this season, going 2-3 with a 4.15 ERA. He struggled early on but looked better recently, including a 7.2-inning outing in the second game of a doubleheader on July 7. That’s the kind of performance the Brewers need right now.
The next few weeks will tell us a lot about how serious this is. If Harrison comes back after the break and looks like himself, everyone breathes easy. If not, the Brewers might have to make some tough decisions with the trade deadline coming up.
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